August 19, 2022
New Fiction
The Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda – Ten years ago, Abigail Lovett fell into a job she loves: managing the Passage Inn, a cozy resort nestled in the mountains of North Carolina in a town called Cutter’s pass. Tourists are drawn to the town for its outdoor offerings and proximity to the Appalachian Trail – but also for its notorious history as the last known location for six different visitors who vanished without a trace over the past three decades. When journalist Landon West comes to investigate the story of “The Vanishing Trail,” then disappears himself, the town – and the inn – are thrust back into the spotlight. After months without any leads, Abby is shocked when West’s brother, Trey, checks into the Passage Inn one evening. Knowing how cold the case is, Abby can’t help but feel for this man. She’s all too familiar with how the locals tend to close ranks to outsiders. But it isn’t until Abby uncovers incriminating new evidence that she realizes how very little she knows about her coworkers and neighbours – and just how dangerous that is.
The Orphan Girl by Kurt Palka – London, 1944 -5: Kate Henderson is an energetic and spirited young woman. As a trained paramedic and ambulance driver, she does her work courageously and with determination, even though underneath she is still wrestling with grief after witnessing the shooting death of her diplomat father seven years earlier. Her father’s murder was never properly investigated, and it remains unsolved. Kate’s life is interrupted once more when she wakes up one night to the sound of the air raid alarm and the terror whistles of a bomb’s stabilizers screaming toward the roof of her house. Kate survives, but she is injured. Her house is gone as well, and after her time in the hospital, Claire Giroux, a kind doctor and family friend, invites Kate to live with her as she recuperates. This arrangement works well for them until a few months later when Claire’s husband comes home from the war. Within days the lives of both women are drastically altered, and events are set in motion, both in England and in Canada, that challenge Kate and Claire to their limits.
The Retreat by Sarah Pearse – An idyllic wellness retreat has opened on an island off the English coast, promising rest and relaxation but the island itself, known locally as Reaper’s Rock, has a dark past. Once the playground of a serial killer, it’s rumored to be cursed. A young woman is found dead below the yoga pavilion in what seems to be a tragic fall. But Detective Elin Warner soon learns the victim wasn’t a guest – she wasn’t meant to be on the island at all. The longer Elin stays, the more secrets she uncovers. And when someone else drowns in a diving incident, Elin begins to suspect that there’s nothing accidental about these deaths. But why would someone target the guests at this luxury resort? Elin must find the killer – before the island’s history starts to repeat itself.
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center – Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindergarten teacher than somebody who could kill you with a corkscrew. Or a ballpoint pen. Or a dinner napkin. But the truth is, she’s an Executive Protection Agent (aka “bodyguard”), and she just got hired to protect superstar actor Jack Stapleton from his middle-aged, corgi-breeding stalker. Jack Stapleton’s a household name – he’s captured by paparazzi on beaches the world over and famous for, among other things, rising out the waves in all manner of clingy board shorts and glistening like a Roman deity. But a few years back, in the wake of a family tragedy, he dropped from the public eye and went off the grid. When Jack’s mom gets sick, he goes home to the family’s Texas ranch to help out. Only one catch: He doesn’t want his family to know about his stalker. Or the bodyguard thing. And so Hannah – against her will and better judgement – finds herself pretending to be Jack’s girlfriend as a cover. Even though her ex says no one will believe it. Hannah hardly believes it herself, but the more time she spends with Jack, the more real it all starts to seem. And therein lies the heartbreak. Because it’s easy for Hannah to protect Jack. But protecting her own long-neglected heart? That’s the hardest thing she’s ever done.